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Chapter XX
Traveling And Transportation.
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1835, when an organization was effected, and a board of directors elected. On Jan. 18, 1832, the Legislature of Delaware chartered the Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad Company, with power to build a railroad from the Pennsylvania State line through Wilmington to the Maryland State line, towards the Susquehanna River; and on March 5, 1832, the Legislature of Maryland incorporated the Baltimore and Port Deposit Railway Company, with power to construct a road from the points named, and nine days subsequent the same authority incorporated the Delaware and Maryland Railroad to build a road from a point to be selected by the company at the Maryland and Delaware State line to Port Deposit, or any other terminus on the Susquehanna River. All of these companies had organized previous to 1836, when in January of that year the Philadelphia and Delaware County Railroad applied to the Legislature for power to increase its capital, which was granted, and at the same time the title of the company was changed to the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. Negotiations were entered into by the latter company with the Delaware and Maryland Railroad, which finally resulted in the latter granting the former the right of way from the Delaware State line to Wilmington. And on Dec. 20, 1837, the road was completed from Wilmington to Chester, so that an engine and train of cars came from the former to the latter place, but did not cross the bridge over Chester Creek, the rails not having been laid over that stream. On January 15th the road was opened for public travel from Philadelphia to Wilmington.
The railway from Wilmington to Perryville had also been opened on the 4th of July, 1837, and the road from Baltimore to Havre de Grace on the 6th of July on the same year. At this time, although there was but one road, it was owned by three corporations, but on Feb. 5, 1838, they consolidated with a capital of two million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, Matthew Newkirk being elected the first president. "Although the road was now in condition for use, it was, as compared with modern roads, very incomplete. The track was constructed of iron bars nailed upon wooden string-pieces, called mud-sills, which rested on the ground, and consequently were continually getting out of position. It was not until after the lapse of some years that this defect was remedied by the introduction of wooden ties."1 | 1 Johnson's "History of Cecil County, Maryland," p.430. | ||
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It is doubtful whether the foregoing statement applies to the road so far as the Pennsylvania Division was concerned. Martin tells us that "the track of the railroad was originally laid with flat bars, called strap-rail, weighing about fifteen pounds per yard, fastened upon a continuous stringer with cross-ties and mud-sills, and with a gauge of four feet eight and a half inches." The road was surveyed, so far as its construction through Delaware County is concerned, by William Strickland and Samuel H. Kneass, and in their report to the president and directors of the Philadelphia and Delaware County Railroad in 1835, they state that the whole length of the line of survey from Broad and Prime Streets, Philadelphia, to the Delaware State line was sixteen and three-fourths miles, and they, not without apparent glee, felt "justified in estimating the amount of passengers from data which their investigation afforded" at about one hundred and fifty persons per day. They also express the belief that if the proposed route to Baltimore be adopted (as was done), the distance being thereby reduced to ninety-three miles, the time of passage "may be readily performed in five hours."2 | 2 Hazard's Register, vol. xvi. p. 245. | ||
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The contract for grading the roadway through Delaware County was awarded to John Cochran, William Eves, and John J. Thurlow, the latter having purchased Spencer McIlvain's interest in the original contract. The road was laid the greater part of the distance on the low, level meadow-land between Gray's Ferry and Chester, the earth for grading being supplied from the excavation of the ditches on each side of the track. While the men were working on the road, six laborers, in May, 1837, attempted to cross from one side of Darby Creek to the other in an old boat which lay on the shore, but it leaked so that when in the middle of the stream it sunk, and two of the men were drowned. The annoyance to the railroad of being compelled to maintain a draw-bridge at Darby Creek was excessive, and after a year or so trial, the company petitioned the Legislature, in 1839, for right to build a permanent bridge across that stream. The proposition met with general opposition from the people of this county, and John K. Zeilin, then representative, obtained a report adverse to the bill. The railroad made no further effort looking to the removal of the draw-bridge at that point. It is said that the plan of connecting a rope to the bell of an engine drawing a train of cars, so that the conductor might communicate with the engineer, was an idea of John Wolf, a noted conductor in the early days of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad history. It seems that he had a cord running through the cars and made fast to a log of wood in the cab of the locomotive, which gave notice to the engineer when to stop or go ahead. On one occasion the former and Wolf had a disagreement, and at that time in railroad management the train was supposed to be in charge of the engineer while in motion, the conductor being but a secondary figure. Wolf had pulled the rope once or twice to indicate that he wanted the train to stop at the Blue Bell, but the engineer paid no attention, and rushed past the station without even slacking speed. The conductor | |||